epigram

[ ep-i-gram ]

noun

1. any witty, ingenious, or pointed saying tersely expressed.

   Synonyms: bon mot, quip, witticism

2. epigrammatic expression:

   Oscar Wilde had a genius for epigram.

3. a short, often satirical poem dealing concisely with a single subject and usually ending with a witty or ingenious turn of thought.

epigram

/ ˈɛpɪˌɡræm /

noun

1. a witty, often paradoxical remark, concisely expressed
2. a short, pungent, and often satirical poem, esp one having a witty and ingenious ending

epigram

1. Any pithy, witty saying or short poem. An aphorism can serve as an epigram, if it is brief.

Notes

Two other words are similar: an epigraph is usually an inscription, as on a statue; an epitaph can be such an inscription or it can be a brief literary note commemorating a dead person.

Several authors are noted for their epigrams, including Mark Twain and Oscar Wilde . One of Wilde's epigrams is “I can resist everything except temptation.”

Derived Forms

• ˌepigramˈmatically, adverb
• ˌepigramˈmatic, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of epigram¹

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin epigramma < Greek epígramma inscription, epigram. See epi-, -gram ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of epigram¹

C15: from Latin epigramma, from Greek: inscription, from epigraphein to write upon, from graphein to write

Example Sentences

It was only when I left home that I realized how unusual it was to have a mother and grandmother who tossed off perfect pies the way some people drop witty epigrams — and how borderline miraculous their pie crusts were.

From Washington Post

Morton emailed me the following epigram from the poet Humbert Wolfe.

From The Daily Beast

"And she would sacrifice Him and all his archangels to an epigram," thought Isabel, who was somewhat shocked.

From Project Gutenberg

"I wonder if she has ever tried to condense rudeness into an epigram," said Isabel viciously, pausing in her narrative.

From Project Gutenberg

Page after page—full of caustic satire, humorous sally and profound epigram—fairly bristles with merriment.

From Project Gutenberg

One should delight in truth; I do delight in epigram; there seems little chance for choice here.

From Project Gutenberg

Then he smiled grimly, thinking of Voltaire's cruel epigram—that "letters addressed to posterity seldom reach their destination!"

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• aphorism